


A Sensation of Drowning

by Dikhotomia



Series: Whumptober 2k19: FE3H Edition [8]
Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Angst, Blood Loss, Day 8 Stab Wound, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-12
Updated: 2019-10-12
Packaged: 2020-12-13 19:34:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 873
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21003038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dikhotomia/pseuds/Dikhotomia
Summary: "The memory comes back slow, rising up from the haze to play in fits and starts. The battle, still raging around her, the lucky spear that tore into her side underneath her armor, sticking in her ribs and sending her down -- down -- the world slowing to an adrenaline laced stop in an attempt to save her from the impact. Her Pegasus trying to keep her on his back, trying to get as low to the ground as he could before she fell completely. She hit the mud and then there was nothing but a blank."ORIngrid's luck runs out, but not entirely.





	A Sensation of Drowning

There's a haze over the world, blurry-slow and cold. She knows there's something wrong, knows that the lead in her limbs and the chill she feels isn't natural, knows that something happened that her mind hasn't caught up to yet. Out of the corner of her eye she sees her Pegasus, nosing at her cheek and nickering at her but she can't move, can't offer him any comfort beyond the flicker of her eyes. Alive. She's...alive but only barely.

The memory comes back slow, rising up from the haze to play in fits and starts. The battle, still raging around her, the lucky spear that tore into her side underneath her armor, sticking in her ribs and sending her down -- down -- the world slowing to an adrenaline laced stop in an attempt to save her from the impact. Her Pegasus trying to keep her on his back, trying to get as low to the ground as he could before she fell completely. She hit the mud and then there was nothing but a blank.

A blank until now, until she wakes up fully, parts of her body coming alive with white hot pain but leaving her still so cold. "Oh Goddess," she wheezes, tasting the blood in her mouth and coughing more of it out hot and trailing down her cheeks and jaw. Her breath stutters, went and whistling in her chest and she knows, she knows she won't last much longer. "I'm going to die here," she mutters, eyes sliding to where her Pegasus still stands vigil at her side, snout stained in blood.

"Sorry," she rasps, lifting a numb hand and pressing it against his forelock, smearing more blood on his fur. "Guess....I won't be here.....to see the Emperor's new world." The world dulls at the edges again, vision graying out on the fade of sound. Her hand drops, unresponsive beyond the all consuming cold that sinks deep and blossoming into her bones. She can see the ragged edges of her wound, the mess of red her midsection had become because of it. She wonders distantly how she hasn't died yet -

"Ingrid!"

Mercedes hits the ground at her side, hands already in motion and a spell on her lips. Magic floods her, warm and comforting, chasing the chill back a few inches at a time. The hands on her wound make her shake, teeth clenched and coughing bloody again. But Mercedes keeps the pressure on, talks to her low and murmuring, comforting nonsense she barely understands but it still helps. "Don't die on me, okay," she says finally, looking down at her. "I know it took me a little bit to get to you but I'm here now."

Ingrid smiles, slightly, wonders how bad she must look with how Mercedes' expression pinches to one of more worry. "Ingrid?" she asks, the worry turning into fear.

She must not have moved, she thinks, the muscles in her face not responding to the command she gave them. What she thinks she might have done only a figment of her fading imagination. "Ingrid please don't close your eyes, please stay awake." It's frantic and she blinks once, the hitch of her breath making her wince.

"I'm-" the word is slurred, brow knitting. "Awake."

"Sorry I'm late." Linhardt kneels beside them next, grimacing likely at the sight of her, bloodied, pale and looking like death was about to claim her.

Which, wasn't far off.

"Well, you're a mess aren't you? All this blood. Let's see." His hands lift, hovering over where Mercedes' -- now slick with blood -- still press down on the wound. She can feel a little more, the haze clearing just a tiny bit more to reveal the fading noise of battle, the distinct bellow of Edelgard's voice carrying over it all.

"Anyone ever tell you," she's slurring still, tongue unsteady in her mouth and mind struggling to churn out the words. "You have....terrible bedside manner?"

Linhardt laughs and the tension in Mercedes' shoulders eases. "She's making jokes," he drawls around the mutter of his own spell. "It must mean she's feeling a little bit better."

"Right as rain." It's a lie and all of them know it, but the relieved laughter is enough to make Ingrid finally smile for real, the sensation of her lips moving and the itch of drying blood telling her it's not imagined. She's still tired, the weight of her exhaustion still dragging her down and making it a struggle to stay awake, so her attention wanders, eyes sliding from Linhardt and Mercedes to her Pegasus, ever present, ever watching. She was going to spoil him rotten when this was all over.

And take a much needed vacation.

"We've got you," Mercedes says and she looks when the other woman looms in the corner of her vision, blinks back her surprise at the press of their foreheads. "You can rest now." It's not the best idea and she knows Mercedes is aware, but it also wasn't like Ingrid was going to be able to stay awake much longer.

It's nice to know though, as she drifts back down into the darkness she'd climbed out of, that she'd be able to wake up again.

_Thank you._


End file.
